If you want to talk at length to Gov. Tim Pawlenty about Sen. John McCain — or just about anything else — it might help if you don’t work in Minnesota.

Pawlenty will join joined All Things Considered host Michele Norris in Washington today for some more national exposure (Read and listen). They talked about McCain’s energy policy and about Minnesota’s role as a potential “swing state.”

Pawlenty’s one-on-one interview schedule, however, rarely includes the Minnesota media. A day before Sen. McCain’s town hall forum in St. Paul last week, MPR’s All Things Considered producer Sam Choo tried to get some time with Pawlenty for host Tom Crann. “Too busy,” was the response.

A couple of weeks before that, MPR’s Morning Edition tried to book an interview with Pawlenty to coincide with the appearance in St. Paul of Sen. Barack Obama. An official with the McCain campaign (all political interviews with Pawlenty have to go through McCain’s Minnesota office) promised to try to get Pawlenty on the show, but never called back.

MPR’s Midmorning tried for Pawlenty after the Northwest merger was announced, but was also told he was too busy. Pawlenty hasn’t appeared on the show since May 2007, a show in which Kerri Miller gave the governor a grilling far more intense — and informed — than anything he’s gotten from any of the national hosts. It’s also one of the few venues — along with Midday — when people get an opportunity to ask the governor tough questions.

He hasn’t appeared on TPT’s Almanac since April. The show hasn’t extended an invitation to him since.

Pawlenty still maintains a healthy public appearance schedule and regularly makes himself available for questions by groups of reporters at his daily appearances. He also has his own radio show, although the most embarrassing moment for the governor came on the show on which he was the host.

Is there angst among the local journalists about this sort of thing? Not that one can tell. Besides, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said, “the Governor spoke one-on-one with reporters from the AP, MPR, WCCO Radio and other news outlets after his recent visits to view storm damage and flood damage.”

About the blogger

Bob Collins has been with Minnesota Public Radio since 1992, emigrating to Minnesota from Massachusetts. He was senior editor of news in the ’90s, ran MPR’s political unit, created the MPR News regional website, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started several blogs, and every day laments that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.

NewsCut is a blog featuring observations about the news. It provides a forum for an online discussion and debate about events that might not typically make the front page. NewsCut posts are not news stories.